Local Governance

The Role of the Local Governing Board

The Local Governing Board of St Cleer and Darite Primary Academies is a group of enthusiastic volunteers who bring a range of skills and expertise, and who are dedicated to supporting both the schools, and indeed supporting the whole of Bridge Schools Trust. Governors meet approximately every half term, to support and challenge the school leadership team, with the aim of improving outcomes of all our pupils.

Governors report to the Trustees of Bridge Schools. Their key role is:
1. To provide a balance of challenge and support to school leaders, understanding the strengths and areas for improvement in the school.
2. To be able to articulate these to all stakeholders.
3. In areas where the role of the LGB is to monitor an activity the expectation is that this is an active role. Monitoring could confirm that the item has been successfully addressed or the LGB could make a recommendation or suggestion for improvement.

St Cleer Local Governing Body (LGB)

Darite and St Cleer Academies share a LGB. The governors are from a wide range of backgrounds, professions and links to the school. They involve parents, teachers and other interested parties. They meet termly and the governors play a huge role in monitoring and supporting the school. The LGB also works closely with other Governing Bodies across Bridge Schools Trust to strengthen good practice.

This page is where you can find out about the LGB that supports St Cleer.

As part of the Bridge Schools Trust, the following details can be found on the trust website (www.bridgeschools.co.uk).

Register of interests for accounting officer.
Memorandum of association.
Funding agreements.
Annual accounts
Annual report

Offering Advice and Guidance

Our parent and community governors have a range of different backgrounds and experience and bring many beneficial perspectives to the life of the school.

The role of the Governing Body:

Ensures clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Contributes to the school's self-evaluation and understands its strengths and weaknesses, including the impact of their own work
Supports and strengthens the school leadership, including developing their own skills
Provides challenge and holds the Headteacher and other senior leaders to account for improving the quality of teaching, pupils' achievement and pupils' behaviour and safety, including using the data dashboard, other progress data, examination outcomes and test results
Uses performance management systems to improve teaching, leadership and management
Ensures solvency and probity and that the financial resources made available to the school are managed effectively
Operates in such a way that statutory duties are met and priorities approved engages with key stakeholders
Uses the pupil premium and other resources to overcome barriers to learning, including reading, writing and mathematics.

LGB Monitoring at St Cleer Primary Academy

The governing body has a crucial role to play in the life of our school and the effectiveness of governors in carrying out their responsibilities is a central part of the overall effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school.

Their key role is to oversee the strategic development of our academy. This involves monitoring and evaluating the school’s effectiveness, and offering support and challenge. As well as providing this through LGB meetings, monitoring is a key aspect to their work.

Meet The Governors

Mr Adrian Hines

Chair of Governors; Co-opted Governor

Email: chair-ahines@bridgeschools.co.uk

Responsibilities: Whistleblowing, Complaints.
Term of office: 05-11-19 to 04-11-23

I was appointed in 2014 as a Parent Governor at Rydon Primary School, a 420-pupil school in Kingsteignton, Devon. I was elected to the role of Chair in 2016. At this time, the school was part of the Templer Academies Schools Trust (TAST), a MAT comprising two secondary and two primary schools. Upon taking on this role, I prioritised establishing clarity regarding roles and responsibilities, and sought to develop improved insight amongst the Governing Board members. During this period, I also served on the TAST Board, and chaired the TAST Audit Committee, before stepping aside to lead the Governing Body through a challenging period of change arising from a merger of trusts to form Education South West (ESW), which now comprises four secondary and six primary schools. I am currently taking a lead in developing local governance across ESW, seeking to improve cooperation between the Local Governing Bodies, and between the Local Governing Bodies and the Trust Board. I have also implemented a Trust-wide Governor training programme, and have designed and delivered “Basics of Governance” training within this programme. In developing governance across the Trust I have been working with a National Leader of Governance, and with the DfE-funded GovernorSpace leadership development programme. I am an Associate Board Member of Devon Association of Governance, and have recently been appointed as the Primary Academies Governor Representative on the Devon Education Forum. Outside of school governance, in my “day job” I have over 15 years of experience in leading teams of scientists and software engineers, and of committee work at local, national and international level. My work roles have also involved a number of interactions with the Education sector. My teams have included qualified trainers who are responsible for development and delivery of training materials for a variety of audiences, and I have visiting positions at the Universities of Exeter and Leeds which both involve interaction with both undergraduate and postgraduate training activities. As a public sector employee, I benefit from my employer offering flexibility to enable me to work around Governor duties.

Mrs Nickie Doney

Community Governor; Safeguarding Governor
Term of office: 14-02-19 to 13-02-23.

Nickie is originally from Plymouth and moved to the Darite area about ten years ago. She is a qualified Children’s Social Worker who works within the family courts and has many years’ experience working within child protection and safeguarding. Nickie has two young daughters, one currently in Year 2 at Darite and the other in nursery. Nickie is pleased to join the governing board and is hoping to make a positive contribution to Darite and St Cleer schools, particularly in terms of assisting with safeguarding across the schools.

Mrs Louise Marks-Saberton

Community Governor
Term of office: 12-02-19 to 11-02-23

My name is Louise Marks-Saberton. I have two children at Darite who joined in Reception in 2014 and 2017. The school is very dear to my heart having attended myself in the 1980s. I work as a teaching assistant and in my spare time I do a lot of camping and walking with my family.

Mrs Michele Spencer

Staff Governor, Headteacher

I have been a teacher and leader in Education for 17 years and am delighted to be the Headteacher here at St Cleer, in this new and exciting chapter for the school. Originally from the south east coast of Ireland, life in Cornwall feels very natural and almost home-from-home already. A diverse experience gained from being and Acting Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher in London schools along with a passion for the outdoors has led me to Cornwall and to St Cleer. I look forward to building on what works well here as well as building capacity and ensuring children are given every opportunity to reach their potential.

Mr Tom Whipps

Staff Governor, Headteacher

Tom is originally from Sheffield but trained in Manchester. He taught for several years in larger schools across Oldham and Manchester before moving to Looe Primary. He has now taught in 5 of the 14 schools in the trust and has been head of school at 3 of these.